SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS

• US 20150050633A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edsense LLC
• Original Assignee: Edsense LLC
• Inventors: Christmas, Coy, Malpass, Luke, Lutz, Parnell, Leschyshyn, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for displaying multiple applications on a graphical user interface (“GUI”) are provided. An application control system (“ACS”) may determine which applications should be displayed, and ACS may determine an optimal layout for the application on the GUI. ACS may move and/or resize the applications and automatically determine an optimal layout such that the applications substantially fill a portion of the GUI. Additionally, ACS may facilitate communication between the applications using an application programming interface (“API”). An application may obtain information from any other application on the GUI by transmitting requests via the API.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

selecting, by a computer-based system for displaying applications in a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

), a plurality of applications to be displayed in the GUI;

determining, by the computer-based system, a relative size for each of the plurality of applications; and

formatting, by the computer-based system, the GUI such that the plurality of applications substantially fills the GUI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the plurality of applications comprises determining a default number of applications.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding, by the computer-based system, a subsequent application to the plurality of applications.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising incorporating, by the computer-based system, the subsequent application to the GUI, wherein the incorporating the subsequent application to the GUI comprises resizing the plurality of applications, such that the plurality of applications and the subsequent application substantially fill the GUI.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative size for each of the plurality of applications is based on at least one of a frequency of use of the plurality of applications, and a user rank of the plurality of applications.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising resizing, by the computer-based system, a first application in the plurality of applications based on user input.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising resizing, by the computer-based system and in response to the resizing the first application, a second application in the plurality of applications such that the plurality of applications substantially fills the GUI.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

locking, by the computer-based system and based on first user input, a size of a first application in the plurality of applications;

resizing, by the computer-based system and based on second user input, a second application in the plurality of applications; and

resizing, by the computer-based system and in response to the second user input, remaining applications in the plurality of applications such that the plurality of applications substantially fills the GUI, wherein the size of the first application remains constant.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computer-based system, that a first application in the plurality of applications is an active application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising increasing, by the computer-based system and in response to the determining that the first application is an active application, a size of the first application.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising activating, by the computer-based system and in response to the determining that the first application is an active application, a second application in the plurality of applications.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of applications are selected based on an active application.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system and via a first application in the plurality of applications, a request.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the computer-based system, that a second application in the plurality of applications contains data desired by the first application in order to complete the request.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting, by the computer-based system, the data from the second application to the first application via an application programming interface.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system, first data in a first application in the plurality of applications, and loading, by the computer-based system, second data in a second application in the plurality of applications, wherein the second data is relevant to the first data.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer-based system and via a first application in the plurality of applications, input comprising a first task;

parsing, by the computer-based system, the input into keywords; and

transmitting, by the computer-based system and based on the keywords, a request to a second application in the plurality of applications.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer-based system, a selection of a student in a student list application in the plurality of applications;

loading, by the computer-based system, content relative to the student in a grades application in the plurality of applications and a communication application in the plurality of applications;

transmitting, by the computer-based system and based on information in the grades application, a message to the student via the communication application.

19. A system comprising:

a processor for displaying applications in a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

),

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

selecting, by the processor, a plurality of applications to be displayed in the GUI;

determining, by the processor, a relative size for each of the plurality of applications; and

formatting, by the processor, the GUI such that the plurality of applications substantially fills the GUI.

20. An article of manufacture including a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system for displaying applications in a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

), cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising;

selecting, by the computer-based system, a plurality of applications to be displayed in the GUI;

determining, by the computer-based system, a relative size for each of the plurality of applications; and

formatting, by the computer-based system, the GUI such that the plurality of applications substantially fills the GUI.